Executive Order 12906 - Coordinating Geographic Data Access

Presidential Documents

Federal Register
Vol. 59, No. 71
Wednesday, April
April13,13,
1993
1994

Title 3—

Executive Order 12906 of April 11, 1994

The President

Coordinating Geographic Data Acquisition and Access: The
National Spatial Data Infrastructure
Geographic information is critical to promote economic development, im­
prove our stewardship of natural resources, and protect the environment.
Modern technology now permits improved acquisition, distribution, and
utilization of geographic (or geospatial) data and mapping. The National
Performance Review has recommended that the executive branch develop,
in cooperation with State, local, and tribal governments, and the private
sector, a coordinated National Spatial Data Infrastructure to support public
and private sector applications of geospatial data in such areas as transpor­
tation, community development, agriculture, emergency response, environ­
mental management, and information technology.
NOW, THEREFORE, by the authority vested in me as President by the
Constitution and the laws of the United States of America; and to implement
the recommendations of the National Performance Review; to advance the
goals of the National Information Infrastructure; and to avoid wasteful dupli­
cation of effort and promote effective and economical management of re­
sources by Federal, State, local, and tribal governments, it is ordered as
follows:
Section 1. Definitions. (a) ‘‘National Spatial Data Infrastructure’’ (‘‘NSDI’’)
means the technology, policies, standards, and human resources necessary
to acquire, process, store, distribute, and improve utilization of geospatial
data.
(b) ‘‘Geospatial data’’ means information that identifies the geographic
location and characteristics of natural or constructed features and boundaries
on the earth. This information may be derived from, among other things,
remote sensing, mapping, and surveying technologies. Statistical data may
be included in this definition at the discretion of the collecting agency.
(c) The ‘‘National Geospatial Data Clearinghouse’’ means a distributed
network of geospatial data producers, managers, and users linked electroni­
cally.
Sec. 2. Executive Branch Leadership for Development of the Coordinated
National Spatial Data Infrastructure. (a) The Federal Geographic Data Com­
mittee (‘‘FGDC’’), established by the Office of Management and Budget
(‘‘OMB’’) Circular No. A–16 (‘‘Coordination of Surveying, Mapping, and
Related Spatial Data Activities’’) and chaired by the Secretary of the Depart­
ment of the Interior (‘‘Secretary’’) or the Secretary’s designee, shall coordinate
the Federal Government’s development of the NSDI.
(b) Each member agency shall ensure that its representative on the FGDC
holds a policy-level position.
(c) Executive branch departments and agencies (‘‘agencies’’) that have
an interest in the development of the NSDI are encouraged to join the
FGDC.
(d) This Executive order is intended to strengthen and enhance the general
policies described in OMB Circular No. A–16. Each agency shall meet its
respective responsibilities under OMB Circular No. A–16.
(e) The FGDC shall seek to involve State, local, and tribal governments
in the development and implementation of the initiatives contained in this
order. The FGDC shall utilize the expertise of academia, the private sector,

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Federal Register / Vol. 59, No. 71 / Wednesday, April 13, 1993 / Presidential Documents
professional societies, and others as necessary to aid in the development
and implementation of the objectives of this order.
Sec. 3. Development of a National Geospatial Data Clearinghouse.
(a)Establishing a National Geospatial Data Clearinghouse. The Secretary,
through the FGDC, and in consultation with, as appropriate, State, local,
and tribal governments and other affected parties, shall take steps within
6 months of the date of this order, to establish an electronic National
Geospatial Data Clearinghouse (‘‘Clearinghouse’’) for the NSDI. The Clearing­
house shall be compatible with the National Information Infrastructure to
enable integration with that effort.
(b) Standardized Documentation of Data. Beginning 9 months from the
date of this order, each agency shall document all new geospatial data
it collects or produces, either directly or indirectly, using the standard
under development by the FGDC, and make that standardized documentation
electronically accessible to the Clearinghouse network. Within 1 year of
the date of this order, agencies shall adopt a schedule, developed in consulta­
tion with the FGDC, for documenting, to the extent practicable, geospatial
data previously collected or produced, either directly or indirectly, and
making that data documentation electronically accessible to the Clearing­
house network.
(c) Public Access to Geospatial Data. Within 1 year of the date of this
order, each agency shall adopt a plan, in consultation with the FGDC,
establishing procedures to make geospatial data available to the public,
to the extent permitted by law, current policies, and relevant OMB circulars,
including OMB Circular No. A–130 (‘‘Management of Federal Information
Resources’’) and any implementing bulletins.
(d) Agency Utilization of the Clearinghouse. Within 1 year of the date
of this order, each agency shall adopt internal procedures to ensure that
the agency accesses the Clearinghouse before it expends Federal funds to
collect or produce new geospatial data, to determine whether the information
has already been collected by others, or whether cooperative efforts to obtain
the data are possible.
(e) Funding. The Department of the Interior shall provide funding for
the Clearinghouse to cover the initial prototype testing, standards develop­
ment, and monitoring of the performance of the Clearinghouse. Agencies
shall continue to fund their respective programs that collect and produce
geospatial data; such data is then to be made part of the Clearinghouse
for wider accessibility.
Sec. 4. Data Standards Activities. (a) General FGDC Responsibility. The
FGDC shall develop standards for implementing the NSDI, in consultation
and cooperation with State, local, and tribal governments, the private and
academic sectors, and, to the extent feasible, the international community,
consistent with OMB Circular No. A–119 (‘‘Federal Participation in the
Development and Use of Voluntary Standards’’), and other applicable law
and policies.
(b) Standards for Which Agencies Have Specific Responsibilities. Agencies
assigned responsibilities for data categories by OMB Circular No. A–16 shall
develop, through the FGDC, standards for those data categories, so as to
ensure that the data produced by all agencies are compatible.
(c) Other Standards. The FGDC may from time to time identify and develop,
through its member agencies, and to the extent permitted by law, other
standards necessary to achieve the objectives of this order. The FGDC will
promote the use of such standards and, as appropriate, such standards
shall be submitted to the Department of Commerce for consideration as
Federal Information Processing Standards. Those standards shall apply to
geospatial data as defined in section 1 of this order.
(d) Agency Adherence to Standards. Federal agencies collecting or produc­
ing geospatial data, either directly or indirectly (e.g. through grants, partner­
ships, or contracts with other entities), shall ensure, prior to obligating

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Federal Register / Vol. 59, No. 71 / Wednesday, April 13, 1993 / Presidential Documents
funds for such activities, that data will be collected in a manner that meets
all relevant standards adopted through the FGDC process.
Sec. 5. National Digital Geospatial Data Framework. In consultation with
State, local, and tribal governments and within 9 months of the date of
this order, the FGDC shall submit a plan and schedule to OMB for completing
the initial implementation of a national digital geospatial data framework
(‘‘framework’’) by January 2000 and for establishing a process of ongoing
data maintenance. The framework shall include geospatial data that are
significant, in the determination of the FGDC, to a broad variety of users
within any geographic area or nationwide. At a minimum, the plan shall
address how the initial transportation, hydrology, and boundary elements
of the framework might be completed by January 1998 in order to support
the decennial census of 2000.
Sec. 6. Partnerships for Data Acquisition. The Secretary, under the auspices
of the FGDC, and within 9 months of the date of this order, shall develop,
to the extent permitted by law, strategies for maximizing cooperative
participatory efforts with State, local, and tribal governments, the private
sector, and other nonfederal organizations to share costs and improve effi­
ciencies of acquiring geospatial data consistent with this order.
Sec. 7. Scope. (a) For the purposes of this order, the term ‘‘agency’’ shall
have the same meaning as the term ‘‘Executive agency’’ in 5 U.S.C. 105,
and shall include the military departments and components of the Depart­
ment of Defense.
(b) The following activities are exempt from compliance with this order:
(i) national security-related activities of the Department of Defense as
determined by the Secretary of Defense;
(ii) national defense-related activities of the Department of Energy as
determined by the Secretary of Energy; and
(iii) intelligence activities as determined by the Director of Central Intel­
ligence.
(c) The NSDI may involve the mapping, charting, and geodesy activities
of the Department of Defense relating to foreign areas, as determined by
the Secretary of Defense.
(d) This order does not impose any requirements on tribal governments.
(e) Nothing in the order shall be construed to contravene the development
of Federal Information Processing Standards and Guidelines adopted and
promulgated under the provisions of section 111(d) of the Federal Property
and Administrative Services Act of 1949, as amended by the Computer
Security Act of 1987 (Public Law 100–235), or any other United States
law, regulation, or international agreement.
Sec. 8. Judicial Review. This order is intended only to improve the internal
management of the executive branch and is not intended to, and does
not, create any right to administrative or judicial review, or any other right
or benefit or trust responsibility, substantive or procedural, enforceable by

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Federal Register / Vol. 59, No. 71 / Wednesday, April 13, 1993 / Presidential Documents
a party against the United States, its agencies or instrumentalities, its officers
or employees, or any other person.

œ–
THE WHITE HOUSE,
April 11, 1994.
[FR Citation 59 FR 17671]

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